The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-01-14
THE EVIL OMEN.

ktllGI lllC ia " bHS%AS DSANf NAA NAA~
servants repeated it; and that was
how they had the news at the Gold
ep Dragon" and all ov,r the village
before night.
How it. happened was a mystery,
but there WAS no denying it. If any
Of the noble folks at the Schwartzberg
were going to die something in the cas-
tie was sure to fall with no human
hand near-no loopholefor explaining
WHY the crash should come before the
death, and not at any other time. The
omen had begun again in these days,
after o lapse Of a century. The old
kelner's father, had kept the keys long
400, had told strange tales about it.
He had only heard them in his youth,
but they were very strange tales, and
the Golden Dragon" and the village
in general decided that they were not
to be explained away. But it was
much more satisfactory when at the
DfHSbIlU GllilC III CNl OlIlCh DCSdl W
show itself again. 1t was no grand
mothers story now, but a reality.
The gossip and excitement went On,
with shoulders and whispers; it was
so pleasant to have something to
shudder about. Why, if nobody had
died after the great stays head fell in
the hall the Golden Dragon" would
have been downright sorry.
But as it happened, the little boy
the old baron's grandson and heir
fell on the Black Mountain the very
day after and broke his neck. That
was only three months ago. Andnow
the great mirror in the tapestried
drawing room had fallen. 1t was GER
tainly the old baron that was to go
off this time. The village waited
breathless to know.
Home went Fritz Hartmann with
the news Saturday night. He was in
q worse humor than usual; that is
saying o. great deal for Fritz Hart
mann, for he was the blacklist man in
the village; and who he was or what
he was thinking of was all a mystery.
Flowers, fatherl". said the little
bright haired child, wanting to be
noticed.
"Go to bed!" said Hartmann, and
dropped the flowers and kicked them
away.
"Any news?" his buxom, good hu-
mored wife asked. The blacklist mood
Fritz sould be in was never too black
to stop her smile; many q gathering
thunderstorm was laughed off by
Martha.
Why should there be news?" he
said savagely, finging his coat aside
and throwing himsels on q seat with
his hat still on. Love in a cottage
has many drawbacks, and the absence
OF manners is one of them.
The brisk and buxom Martha
popped the child into bed and began
to make Fritz's supper hot. There
was no fear in her nature, and a
great deal of curiosity.
IL wanted to hear about the poor
dear old baron" said Martha.
He is dying, they say" growled
Fritz.
"Ohl Poor old mani"
"Why?" said the husband. "He
paid us for my bit OF carving. What
need we carer"
Yes, we should care, my wicked old
Fritz"-shaking him by the shoulder.
IF q poor man died." said Fritz,
'they would shovel him into the
ground and forget him. Why should
not the rich die too? Hehas thegout;
1t would be acomfort to the old fellow
t odie."
Martha had prayed that he might
not die for many a year, govt or no
govt he mad been so good to her. long
ago, when her parents died and she
was taken to the castle to feed the
chickens and ducks In the yard.
Fritz did a bit of w~ook-carving as
we'll as his daily work. Tourists
bought his carving in summer; il was
bought at the castle too. He had car
RED his brackets and frames to the
schwartzberg Castle so often that he
was Tree of the servants hall any day,
and when he took the carved chair on
Thursday the baron had made him
bring it into the library with his W
hands. 1t was ungrateful of Fritz to
De glad that the poor old baron was
dying; but then Fritz was always
growing at the castle folks, and
grumbling at his own poverty.
After supper he went out to the
J0I6n Du,-@-U ~-I f~ll~1 xufth fhn
idiers on the benches outside the inn.
he was not o man for speaking
20 the Others; he had the name